Trump and Cruz Set an Ugly, Nasty Tone (“The trajectory of the Republican primary has been one of growing pessimism, intensifying acrimony and abundant pettiness, and it reached its ugly nadir on the stage in North Charleston, S.C…The only sane response was sorrow—that this is a presidential election in the greatest democracy on earth, and that blowhards like Trump and Cruz are, for now, setting the pace and the terms in one of our two major political parties.”)

Scott Rigell will not seek re-election to Congress (“The decision by Rep. Scott Rigell, a three-term congressman from Virginia Beach, sets the stage for a competitive contest to replace him during an election cycle in which Hampton Roads and the rest of Virginia will be a main focus of presidential candidates who must win the state to win the White House.”)

Two GOP gubernatorial hopefuls visit Capitol (“Ed Gillespie, who nearly knocked off Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., in 2014, visited the state Capitol on Wednesday and Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, caught up with lawmakers on Thursday.”)